CONTINUOUS AIRCRAFT POSITIONING USING GPS AIDED BY INS

This report presents the results of a study with application to the Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT's) Aerial Engineering tasks. Specifically, the study was concerned with the integration of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and an inertial navigation system (INS) for precise, continuous positioning of ODOT's aerial photogrammetric airplane. The study was based on testing a medium-to-high accuracy INS (Litton's LN93) with GPS on board an aircraft. The objective was to demonstrate that such an integration can maintain the GPS accuracy of 2-3 cm over short intervals (few seconds) and to determine the capability using optimal estimation algorithms of maintaining accurate positions over somewhat longer periods. The motivation behind this study is the fact that GPS positioning may be interrupted because of a variety of reasons, from electronic interference (causing cycle slips) to shadowing of the satellite signals (by aircraft wings and tail). The results of the study, which are based on actual test flights with a similar system, the LN100, indicate clearly that such continuous positioning is possible with a loosely integrated GPS/INS configuration. However, it is also noted that the integration cannot be completely uncoupled and requires a comprehensive filtering and smoothing algorithm in order to estimate the INS errors. Other results include recommendations on the quality of the INS needed for such application and the opportunity to extract orientation information from the estimation algorithm.

• Record URL:
  • https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/21000/21200/21241/PB99106726.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio State University, Columbus

  2070 Neil Avenue
  Columbus, OH  United States  43210

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  25 South Front Street
  Columbus, OH  United States  43215

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • JEKELI, C
• Publication Date: 1998-1-23

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 40 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerial photogrammetry; Algorithms; Global Positioning System; Inertial navigation systems; Interference; Kalman filtering; Positioning
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00760323
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/OH-98/008,, Final Report
• Contract Numbers: State Job No. 14643(0)
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 24 1999 12:00AM